Statement by Ambassador Wang Min at the Briefing to the Security Council by Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

2013/02/13

Photo by Lin Qiong/Xinhua News Agency

Mr. President,

I would like to welcome Baroness Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, and to thank her for briefing the Council on the cooperation between the European Union and the United Nations in maintaining international peace and security.

The European Union has been an important partner of the United Nations in the area of peace and security. In recent years, the European Union has actively participated in the discussions within the Council on regional hotspots and thematic topics. The European Union has been working closely with United Nations in carrying out preventive diplomacy, providing good offices and promoting the settlement of disputes through peaceful means, such as mediation and negotiation, as well as through strong support to United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions. The European Union also actively participates in the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission and plays a very positive role in peacebuilding in conflict- affected and post-conflict countries.

We acknowledge the great importance that the European Union attaches to its cooperation with other regional organizations. Recently, certain hotspot issues in Africa, such as Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have become more prominent. The European Union has maintained close coordination with the African Union and African regional and subregional organizations, such as the Economic Community of West African States, the Southern African Development Community and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, in providing strong assistance to their good offices and capacity-building efforts.

China appreciates the significant contribution of the European Union in maintaining regional and international peace, stability and security. It encourages and supports the European Union in continuing to play a positive and constructive role in that regard. Dialogue and consultation are the fundamental way to bridge differences and to prevent and resolve conflicts. While the European Union has extensive experience and resources in that regard, various regional and subregional organizations have a profound understanding of and unique advantages concerning regional issues. The Security Council should strengthen its communication and coordination with various regional and subregional organizations, including the European Union, in line with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, in particular on the basis of more pragmatic and effective cooperation in maintaining international peace and security.